Author: Neil Gaiman
Illustrator: Skottie Young
Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Grade Level: 3 – 7
Hardcover: 128 pages
Publisher: HarperCollins
Release Date: September 17, 2013
Our Score: 5 out of 5 stars
Neil Gaiman has really been having a rocking 2013 so far! He started off the year with a children’s book called “Chu’s Day”, which was super cute (and a favorite of my now 16 month old). He followed that up with a fantastic adult fantasy novel called “The Ocean at the End of the Lane”, which is one of my favorite books of the year. His latest is also probably one of the zaniest yet most fun books I have read in the longest time with “Fortunately, the Milk”. Right from the cover of this book you can tell that this is going to be a crazy ride. From first glance to remind me of something that Roald Dahl would have done. Gaiman’s writing is so much and interesting that you just read page after page and before you even realize it you have read the book in one sitting.
The book follows a father that goes out to get his kids milk for their morning cereal and his coffee and ends up going on an adventure. He gets abducted by aliens, meets pirates, time travels with a stegosaurus that is also a doctor and also confronts a tiki god and some vampires along the way…all while hanging on to that milk. This story is so much fun and out-there but really entertaining along the way. I found myself laughing throughout and kept stopping to share certain paragraphs with my wife as I progressed.
Skottie Young’s illustrations are spread out through each page and really enhance the reading experience so much. I am a big boy and can read a book without pictures but it really makes the story so much more visual and exciting with these great images that carry along the story. This is why I love Gaiman and his writing style since this guy has a super cool imagination and delivers this visual books that stick with you long after you read them. I will most definitely revisiting this book in the future (if not for the illustrations). I can’t wait to see what Neil Gaiman has planned for 2014 and now sure if he can top this stellar year.
